Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek in April

Dry, fast and warm. The Ulleri staircase in April afternoon heat is the sweatiest hour on the trek, and it is worth starting the day early purely to climb it before the sun is fully on the steps.

Rhododendron holds through roughly the first half of the month at Ghorepani and Tadhapani, later than the lower stands and thinner than the March peak. What April adds is the pairing: flowers in the foreground with Annapurna South and Machhapuchhre behind, which is easier to find in April than in March because the lower canopy has already dropped.

Ghandruk in April is at its liveliest, with the village full and the lodges busy. The Gurung museum there is a genuinely good twenty minutes and almost everybody walks straight past it.

This is peak season and Poon Hill is one of the most-walked trails in Nepal. The dawn climb in April is a queue, the tower is full, and the photographs you take will have people in them. That is not a reason to avoid April, but it is a reason to know what you are booking.

Ghorepani lodges are at capacity most nights, so a guide books ahead. Everything is open, fully staffed and running peak menus, and the villages have real energy in April.

The Pokhara flight is at its busiest and needs booking well ahead, along with hotels at both ends. Weather cancellations are uncommon in April. Pokhara is at its annual peak, so nothing should be arranged on arrival.